The Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna is named after a spring that supplies water to the palace. Apparently the water was so good that the emperors decided to name the palace after this spring.
In 1552, a Habsburg prince brought an elephant from Spain to Vienna, but it soon died due to the very cold climate.
When the artist Edwin Lippburger argued with the authorities over a building permit for a spherical house, he decided to declare independence from Austria.
He named his new country the Republic of Kugelmüller (Round Hill). But the authorities moved his home to Prater Park in central Vienna and surrounded it with barbed wire.
After refusing to pay Austrian taxes, Edwin was spared imprisonment by a presidential pardon. Today the Kugelmügel is preserved as one of Austria's most famous landmarks.
Much of Austria is a mountainous region covered by the Alps, with a quarter of the population living in the capital Vienna.
The Grossglockner stands out among them and is the second highest mountain in Europe (3,798 m).
The Krimmler Wasserfalle is the highest waterfall in Europe (380 m).
Austria has the highest number of Nobel Prize winners per capita (19) after Luxembourg, Switzerland and the Nordic countries. World's largest emerald (2860 carats) on display in Vienna
Despite the elephant accident, Vienna is home to the Schönbrunn Gardens, the oldest zoo in the world.
Peter Stiffzscher is the world's oldest hotel restaurant still in operation today. The restaurant opened in 803, more than 1,200 years ago.
There are more than 2.5 million graves in Vienna's central cemetery. This is more than the entire population of Vienna today.
Alpine winter sports are popular in Austria. Skiing is particularly popular.
Austria has one of the highest living standards in the world and Vienna is consistently ranked among the 'most comfortable capitals in the world'.
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